Paranormal Activity Continues To Frighten University Students In New Orleans

One of the most haunted universities in the country continues to have paranormal activity and it is frightening the students. New Orleans’ Loyola University, which first opened in 1904, has had many years of reported paranormal activity and it doesn’t seem like it’s going to slow down anytime soon. Let’s take a look at some of the most haunted locations at the university as well as the paranormal activity that has taken place there.

From 1916 to 1966, Marquette Hall’s fourth and fifth floors were used by students who were studying anatomy and Room 501 was where the corpses were dissected. The remaining areas on that floor were used as a morgue. And since the elevator didn’t go to the fifth floor, the dead bodies would be hauled up by using a crane that hoisted them by their chained ankles.

It’s not surprising that students experience paranormal activity in those areas which include sudden changes in temperature, doors opening and slamming shut, and flickering lights. Apparitions have been seen in the hallway, and when the windows are open, some students and staff members have even heard the sound of the crane that once pulled up the deceased bodies.

Loyola University

Greenville Hall is said to be the most haunted building at the university with ghost stories dating back to the time of its construction. It was built in 1883 for the St. Dominican nuns and an all-girls academy. One of the oldest stories was that of a shrieking banshee and many of the girls claimed that they heard the shrieks in the middle of the night. Another legend is that a pregnant nun hung herself from the building’s cupola.

A girl in a long white dress with brown hair has been seen running across the yard before suddenly disappearing. Unexplained footsteps have been heard from the upper floors, sounds of furniture moving around, sudden drops in temperature, and lights turning off and on.

There are numerous other allegedly haunted locations around the university and countless stories of unexplained activity. Two examples are a ghost playing an organ in Nunemaker Auditorium, and a playful ghost at the Campus Bookstore who apparently enjoys making a mess in the middle of the night.

Loyola University at night

Perhaps the most frightening of these stories was the exorcism that took place at Buddig Hall in 1968. The story began with two 18-year-old girls named Marie and Brenda who were living in Room 813 and often played with their Ouija Board. They apparently made contact with several evil spirits, including a woman named Hazel who allegedly harmed their friend after he made fun of the ghost.

When Father Cohen of the Campus Ministry found out that the girls had been messing around with a Ouija Board, he made them promise to stop using it but they ignored his request and kept on playing with it. One night, the girls were awoken by the sound of furniture moving across the floor. Everything on their shelves had been rearranged and a poster flew off their wall. The girls called Father Cohen who showed up the next morning to perform an exorcism.

Although an exorcism was conducted, people still experience paranormal activity at Buddig Hall even to this day. One of the many examples is that two girls who were living there saw their mini-fridge moving across the floor without any explanation. And in 2010, after students became fed up with their doors slamming shut and the toilet flushing on its own, they conducted a séance in Room 1108. When they asked the ghost if it wanted to do harm to them, they received a deep growl on their recorder in response to their question.

It doesn’t seem as though the spirits of Loyola University will be leaving anytime soon, so students may want to keep their lights on at night and maybe even sleep with one eye open because they may just catch a glimpse of one of the many spirits wandering around campus.

Jocelyne LeBlanc works full time as a writer and is also an author with two books currently published. She has written articles for several online websites, and had an article published in a Canadian magazine on the most haunted locations in Atlantic Canada. She has a fascination with the paranormal and ghost stories, especially those that included haunted houses. In her spare time, she loves reading, watching movies, making crafts, and watching hockey.